2013 Recruitment Begins
“The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Mt. 9:37-38 We interviewed more than 300 young adults in 2012 who were eagerly discerning where God was calling them to serve Him in the New Evangelization. Some of them came from the 74 campuses that we serve and were considering this two-year commitment because of the impact one of our missionaries had in their life. Many others came from schools we don’t serve and their desire to serve with us came only from what they had heard from their friends and family. God called 160 of these young adults to serve Him through FOCUS. Each has a unique story of how God called them to serve and now each one is on campus sharing the Gospel with students and building the Kingdom of God. There are lives being changed eternally every day because those 160 individuals answered the call last year. There is an important first part to each story. It is the people who invited each of our missionaries to consider applying for staff. Without that invitation most of our missionaries would not have even begun to consider applying for FOCUS. The invitation comes from many different sources: missionaries, priests, students, alumni and mission partners. Sometimes all it takes is the simple question, “Have you ever considered serving with FOCUS?” to spark a fire God has been building in someone’s heart. That is what happened for Laura Gifford. As she tells it: Four years ago at this time I was cleaning houses and praying about where the Lord might be calling me next. I had graduated from college and had a very specific list of things that I was looking for in a job, but I hadn’t found anything fulfilling. As I was scrubbing a kitchen floor on my hands and knees, my client Mike said, “Have you ever heard of FOCUS?” I had not heard about FOCUS so he sat down and told me about the vision of FOCUS while I continued to clean. I listened intently as I realized that FOCUS was exactly what I was looking for! He told me that he and his wife, Molly, sponsored two missionaries, and he encouraged me to apply. Mike put me in touch with the missionary they support, and I applied for staff trusting that God used this encounter to lead me where He wanted me to serve. Mike and Molly are more than just mission partners. They are advocates for the work that FOCUS is doing on campuses, and are actively helping to raise up laborers for the harvest. If it weren’t for them I would never have found this wonderful mission and I would not be serving here today. Who do you know that has a heart for college students and a desire to share the love of Christ? Who do you know that is searching for more? Who do you know that desires to change our culture for Christ? Ask them. Make the invitation. Pray for them. Let God work in their hearts. Trust that He has a plan and that He will raise up the laborers. It all starts with an invitation. Will you make it?
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